


Calm before the Storm

by MidnightCreator



Series: Paladin Pack [6]
Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Episdoe: s02e04 Greening the Cube, Gen, I dunno I just write like a maniac, Nekko POV, episode rewrite, how does one tag properly?
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-02-23
Updated: 2017-02-23
Packaged: 2018-09-26 12:13:59
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,192
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9896021
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MidnightCreator/pseuds/MidnightCreator
Summary: The Voltron crew has landed on the planet Olkarion and set about freeing the Olkari from the Galra rule. Nekko helps out how he can and has a few choice words for the Olkari king.





	

To say Nekko was angry would have been an understatement. Enraged would have been a better way to put it.

The pack had set a course for a planet called Olkarion after receiving a distress beacon in the form of white spores that reminded Nekko of snow more so then pollen. Upon arriving, they found much of the planet had been overrun by the Galra and many of the Olkari had been imprisoned, but hope came in the form of a group of Olkari who had managed to escape capture and had built a stronghold deep within the forest. Nekko couldn’t help but admire the fine craftsmanship of the Olkari, be in awe of the way they seem to seamlessly use their abilities on wood and grass rather then metal and wire. And he especially admired the leader of the small rebel group, Ryner. In his option, Ryner was an amazing leader, taking control in a time of peril and protecting her kind in any way she could. And of course Nekko loved the forest itself, relishing in the scents of flora and fauna after who knew how long of smelling the pristine, almost scentless castle.

When Ryner told them about how the Galra were holding their king, Lubos, prisoner and were using him to force the other captive Olkari to build weapons Shiro had set to work on a plan almost immediately. Nekko had, at first, been a little put off by Shiro’s call for him and his sibling to remain with the Olkari, until Kellan pointed out that they were better adapted for hand to hand combat and if a battle broke out they could free prisoners while the humans dealt with ships.

So Nekko waited in the Olkari camp, focusing on his bond with the Paladins in an attempt to figure out how the mission was going. He had expected a snag to be hit, no plan ever goes one-hundred percent as planned, at least none that he had seen in his own fifty-four years of life, but the slight shift in the bond still made his tense. What puzzled him, however, was the shock and surprise he felt though the bonds. The anger from Keith and Shiro, the trembling stutter from Hunk and Lance as if they were trying to process something big. He had expected some surprise when something inevitably went wrong not a shock to their systems. He was glad that he didn’t need to worry over it for long, because not a few minutes after he felt the shock he saw the Green Lion descending into the clearing where the rest of the lions were.

And he quickly learned what had caused those strange reactions when Shiro dragged out a very healthy and well care for King Lubos out of Green and told everyone that Lubos had, in fact, willingly given up his knowledge, people and planet to the Galra.

The reveal made Nekko blood boil. How dare this…this miserable creature sell out the very people he was supposed to protect, the people who had placed their trust and loyalty in him. And for what? So he could cower from the War and live in bliss with a full belly and a warm bed. Nekko’s teeth ground together as Shiro spoke, eyes fixed on the trembling form of Lubos kneeling in the dirt. His anger only increased when Ryner questioned why and Lubos attempted to make excuses, how this creature had ended up as king when he clearly had no attributes fitting of a leader in any form Nekko had no idea.

He probably would have unleashed all his anger on Lubos if Ryner had not called out that they had to fight. Nekko had snapped to attention and let out a yowling battle cry that was practically drowned out by the cries of the Olkari. But Nekko didn’t care, his body was already charging up, readying itself for battle. He can feel the same energy running through his siblings, the energy that had been honed from years at war against Balor and his Sluagh and from two years of captivity by the Galra. His tail lashed back and forth in anticipation as the small army started to move. He heard the rumbling whoosh as the lions took to the sky behind him and glanced upwards as they flew overhead. He closed his eyes briefly, sending out comfort and encouragement to the Paladins through their bond.

‘Watch your back squirt.’

Nekko couldn’t help but snort at his sisters mental pep talk. As much as he complained about the nickname they both knew he actually didn’t mind it.

‘I’m going to watch all out backs.’ He shot back to her. He could feel Kell’s slight amusement at their pre-battle banter.

‘Both of you be careful. Free as many Olkari as you can, the Galra shall not have this planet for another day.’ 

Nekko bared his teeth as the trees thinned and the city came into view, hands reaching for the Altean blades strapped to his back. They didn’t feel as natural as his own blades, the ones the Galra had taken and did who knew what with, but they work and it beat trying to learn his way around a blaster.

Another battle cry rose through the Olkari as they charge the city, tackling drones to the ground and freeing their fellow people. Nekko waved through the chaos with skill and easy, fully utilizing his cat heritage as he took down Galra droids and cut away cuffs from prisoners. He could feel small pulses of emotion coming from the Paladins, they were fighting, he could tell from the mix of nervous energy and thrill of battle. They must have been fighting something big, because every few moments he can feel their nerves building. It worried him, but Kellan speaks soothingly through their bond, reassuring Nekko that the Paladins can take care of themselves and that they had to focus on their own battle.

The reassurances did nothing when he felt a sudden burst of pain from Pidge. The shock of it sends him reeling slightly. He spun around in the direction of a more barren area with rocky outcroppings, eyes searching the sky. He can see the lions and four floating cube things, like the one Coran had but bigger. And he could see the Green Lion sparking with purple energy and plummeting down into the ground.

“Pidge!” Nekko yowled as he started running towards the Green Lion, slicing through any droid that was foolish enough to try and stop him. He growled in frustration at his slow progress and reached through his bond with Pidge, trying to feel her mind dispite the fact their bond was somewhat weak. But he’s distracted by more burst of pain from the other four Paladins and a quick look skywards showed that the cubes were circling the lions, shocking them with purple energy. Nekko snarled as he drove both blades into the chest of a Galra droid and wrenched his arms upwards so that the robots inner wires were forced out of the body in a burst of sparks.

‘Kellan!’

‘I know, I feel them too.’

‘We have to do something!’

‘Use your wings then.’

Nekko blinked and glanced back to see that, yes, his wings were starting to form and the need to protect his pack was building throughout his entire spirit. Another jolt of pain and fear from Lance brought the feathered appendages into full form and Nekko started to beat them as he ran. 

He hadn’t flown in years, not since the War. There had never been a need and his wings hadn’t fully formed in a long time. Even when they had formed when he attacked that space pirate they hadn’t been full and flight ready. Now they beat at the air mercilessly, steadily pulling Nekko into the air. He seethed his duel blades and brought both arms to his sides, eyes narrowed and searching. 

He saw the Green Lion, laying in a large crater and tangled in vines. Nekko couldn’t stop a small whine of concern as he dived down towards the lion. His feet touched the ground just as Ryner appeared from the forest, running past Nekko and straight to Green. Nekko turned to the Olkari that had been following after her, “What is she doing?”

The Olkari jolted to a stop, staring at Nekko with a shocked expression, “She-she’s going to talk to the Green Paladin, help her reactivate the lion.”

Nekko frowned and looked back at Ryner. She had a palm spread on Green’s side and was talking, to Pidge, Nekko assumed. He nodded to himself and spread his wings, Pidge would be in good hands with Ryner which left him to find the remaining Paladins and assist then in any way he could.

He climbed up into the sky, eyes searching until he saw the others. Three of the lions were on the ground, with Black being the only one left in the air but struggling to evade all the attacks. Nekko snarled and tucked in his wings, letting his body drop down, faster and faster until he snapped his wings out again a swooped through the four cubes, attracting the attention of two of them. He dodged and weaved between the cubes, doing his best to avoid the purple electricity. He could feel the Paldian’s shock and he could feel Lance trying to yell at him, Shiro might have been too but their bond wasn’t strong enough for Nekko to know for sure. It didn’t stop him however, blood rushing in his ears and magic practically pulsing off of him. It was exhilarating. 

But also terrifying.

He could feel that feral part of him trying to push its way to the surface, trying to take control. But he shoved it down, not only because of his new found hatred for the more instinctual part of himself but also because he knew that this was not the time for teeth and claws. No, he had to keep his head and fight smartly, not like a beast. 

But even the speed he gained with his family’s magical ability could only do so much for him. The cubes did not hit him but a blast from the electricity caused enough force to send Nekko whirling uncontrollably into the ground. The shock of the fall stunned Nekko as he rolled across the ground before skidding to a stop on his side. 

He snarled and pushed himself up, ignoring the pain in his body, the ringing in his ears and the cries of concern he could feel from his pack in favor of flaring out his wings and standing on unsteady legs, fully prepared to take to the sky again and renew his attack.

But there was no need because Pidge had returned, full of a new determination that made Nekko beam with pride. He cheered when a cannon appeared on Green’s back and the blast from it utterly encased the cubes in thick vines. 

He limped his way over to the Paladins as Pidge landed and was greeted by Lance running out of Blue and yelling, “Dude, your wings were awesome, what you were doing was awesome. But you really shouldn’t have just charged in because we got a good shock when those things shot us from inside our lion! I have no idea what that would do to you but it would definitely be bad!”

Nekko chuckled and reached out to pat Lance’s shoulder when the Paladin was close enough. He would have preferred to ruffle the pup’s hair but the helmet kind of prevented that, “Like I was going to just sit on the ground and watch you five like a witless beast and not try and protect my pack.”

Lance laughed at that and wrapped an arm around Nekko, “Yeah, you are a ‘protect pack worry about myself later’ kind of guy. Now come on, I’ll get you back to that walking healing pod that is your brother.”

Nekko laughed along with Lance as he was guided into Blue. He felt the light thrum of energy that told him the lion was alive and smiled up at her in greeting before Lance ushered him inside her cockpit and sat him down next to the pilot’s chair. Nekko purred when Lance unconsciously reached down to scratch his ears, the ministrations doing wonders for calming him and burying the feral part of him deep down in his mind where it belong.

When they all reunited with the Olkari, Nekko was nearly pounced on by Kellan, “I said go help I didn’t say get shot.”

“Technically I didn’t get hit, just caught up in the after shock.”

Kellan growled, but Nekko could feel there was no malice behind it, just fond exasperation and pride. 

Healing Nekko didn’t take long, most of the pain had come from hitting the ground so hard, and once Kellan finished with him the healer ran off to check on others who were in need of medical attention.

Nekko wondered off, in search of anyone who may need help when a voice made his draw up short and his ears flatten.

“You, yes, you there.”

Nekko turned to glare at Lubos, who had been cuffed to a tree while the rest of them went to fight the Galra, and stalked over to him, “What?”

“You are with the Voltron Paladins, yes?” the hopefully smile Lubos gave made Nekko was to hit the traitor. “You must help me, my people do not understand the sacrifice I made to ensure our safety. They will surely exact some form of punishment that I do not deserve. But maybe, if you put in a good word to the Paladins, I can escape here on your ship.”

Nekko felt his anger bubble anew as he glared at Lubos, “If you think for one moment that I would ever entertain the idea of helping someone like you, you are truly a fool.”

“W-what?” and now he was confused, which only made Nekko angrier. “You must understand, we can’t fight the Galra. This attack will only evoke more to come and destroy us all. Can’t you see I was protecting my people?”

“They are not yours. You threw away any right to be their king when you handed them over to Zarkon’s Empire, when you chose to hide and willingly give the enemy what they wanted because you did not want to endure your responsibility as a king.” Nekko’s voice became a dangerous low growl as he spoke, and a part of him couldn’t help but take pleasure in the slowly building terror in Lubos’s face. “You are a traitor to your race, a traitor of the worst kind. You were their king, their leader. You were supposed to protect them from threats, guide them in times of darkness, to make sure that their trust within you was not misplaced. But no, a coward like you sees that as to much to do. So you gave them all up to the Empire so you would not have to fight. You gave up your knowledge and assisted in creating a weapon that could have destroyed countless races and planets because you did not want to endure imprisonment. And what’s worse, you still try and claim that what you did was just and the best path.” Nekko leaned down and curled his lip, causing Lubos to shy away from his as much as his bonds would allow. “Whatever punishment is chosen for you, it will be just and called for and I will not assist you in escaping it.”

With a final snarl, Nekko straightened and turned his back on the former king, and found himself face to face with Ryner. He felt a slight heat of embarrassment in his face and ears and cleared his throat, “I…apologies if I said anything out of line.”

“Oh no, I believe you said what needed to be said quite nicely,” Ryner smiled at him. “I am actually very glad you ensured Lubos understood where you stood on this issue.”

“It felt like something that needed saying.”

Ryner nodded and gestured towards the lions, “I came to inform you that your companions are preparing to depart, we are eternally grateful, to you and Voltron, for helping us take back our planet.”

Nekko smiled, “I cannot speak for the others, but I would say it is safe to assume that we all were glad to assist.” He bowed, lowering his ears and tail in respect. “And I can say without a doubt that meeting you and fighting by your side was an honor Ryner.” He straightened, still smiling.

*~*~*

The effects of exhaustion had started to pull at Nekko when they were about halfway back to the castle. Unlocking his Spirit Beast was amazing but it was also draining, especially considering how long it had been at full power. Nekko was sure it hadn’t hit him sooner because of his little spike of anger at Lubos.

So when they were back in the castle, Nekko found the closest surface, one of the control chairs, Keith’s maybe, on the main flight deck, and promptly flopped down for a cat nap. He remembered vaguely hearing Allura asking why he just fell down and Kit’s voice, maybe explaining, he was honestly too tired to pay attention.

He dozed in the chair, letting the voices of the Paladins, Alteans and his siblings lull in into a light sleep. He barely noticed when the voices tapered off and everyone moved out of the room. What he did notice was a hand cupping one of his ears.

Nekko didn’t need to open his eyes to know it was Keith, and frankly, he didn’t feel like opening his eyes. So he just flicked his ear in response to the touch.

Keith inhaled slightly, but the hand on Nekko’s ear didn’t move away. Instead, the slightly calloused fingers curled around the base of his ear, rubbing very carefully at the place were the fuzz of the ear merged into his scalp. Nekko purred and unconsciously tilted his head into Keith’s hand. 

He felt Keith relax and start combing his finger through Nekko’s hair, “Man, no wonder Lance does this all the time. It’s like petting a huge cat.”

Nekko almost laughed. Keith was still wound up and using Nekko as a way to calm down. He knew that because Lance did it quite often with him and his siblings when he was wound up to much to calm himself down. It didn’t happen to often, mostly just after Lance had particularly bad nightmare. And it was a win-win for all in Nekko’s option, the humans calmed down and the Patrians got a free petting.

The steady movement of Keith finger smoothing over his ears was more then enough to send Nekko into a deep, peaceful sleep.

*~*~*

Nekko probably would have slept for quite some time, if it were not for the sudden boom of something hitting the Castle and Keith shaking him awake yelling that he need his chair.

**Author's Note:**

> Hey look, an episode rewrite chapter.  
> This actually didn't take to long to write so I'm happy for that, means I can move along to the next episode. The title is what took me awhile. Didn't now if I should go with the episode title or make up a new one. Went with this one because things are about to dive bomb into intensity town.  
> Thank you for reading, please leave your thoughts in the comments, constructive criticism is always welcomed and I hope you all have an awesome day. :)


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